Fate's Gift
by Ravenclaw Writer
Summary: The times Merida and Hiccup could have met. The time they did.
1. Chapter 1

Nerp so I'm new at writing for this ship, but I really love it a lot more than I should and so here I am. I hope you'll enjoy it! I'm sorry, but I SUCK at writing any accents, so they're just going to be written normally and you can throw in the lovely gargling of Scottish as you please.

* * *

Merida ran through the library, screeching for her mother. "Mum! Mum where are you?" She flew through the aisles of the library, knocking over scrolls and distracting several of the people who were busy researching. "Mum! MUM!" Patrons rolled their eyes, trying to find the right scroll for their searches.

The boy poring over dragon books was especially annoyed. He had to figure out something, anything, as to how to tame the wilder ones. The ancient Norse was already tricky, and that voice didn't make anything better.

From his desk at the end of the shelves, he saw a flash of red in the corridor. Hiccup tried to focus, but the pair of feet just ran by again and again. He rolled his eyes. "Not like it's a library or anything", he mumbled. He kept to his work though, flipping the yellowed pages back and forth.

Distractions continued. Hiccup gritted his teeth, already fifteen minutes into persistent "Mum!"s and "Mother!"s and darting back and forth and flashes of curly red hair. He considered stopping the offender, but in the end he kept to his book.

Had he gotten up, he would've been knocked over by the tremendous force of Merida running full speed. She would've apologized distractedly, and he would've sighed and accepted the apology. She would've asked for help, and he would've been caught up in the whirlwind adventure of Merida. The dragon book would've layed there forgotten, and Hiccup would've been pulled by his vest into a kiss a lot sooner in his life than he was. Merida wouldn't have worried so much about finding a husband, and those Scots would've gotten more of a brown tint in the hair of their next ruler.

But Hiccup is a determined and introverted viking, and so he kept to himself.

* * *

"Now don't forget to meet back here, at the corner of Audun and... well whatever that says." King Fergus scratched his head. "Now what could tha' be.."

"Gærhialm, dad. And don't worry, I'll be safe. What could go wrong in Berk?" Merida slipped an apple from her satchel, and sauntered down the street.

The market was astounding, even without the dragons circling overhead. The fabrics were surprisingly vibrant despite the rather grey island, and the food was more aromatic than anyone gave it credit for. The cobblestones twisted and curved, every one still marked by a burn from the years past. Merida maneuvered around the people, narrowly missing a few. Her red hair bobbed in the crowd, and paused in front of a stall every so often, fingering the little golden dragon trinkets and tracing the dragon carvings on quivers.

Twisting down another set of alleyways and market stalls was Hiccup. He leisurely walked around, knowing the bazaar like the back of his hand. He glanced at the furs, bought an orange from the fruit stand, and meandered. There was plenty of time until lessons, and for once Berk didn't seem to have an ominous cloud hanging over everything, threatening to wring itself out.

Soon enough, Merida lost track of which streets led to what. The spiderweb of paths intertwined in the oddest places, where Gorm met Grim and roads ended because of a fallen tree. Instructions said to go to the stump where the Stoick won battle, and how exactly was she meant to know that? Merida wandered, narrowly missing our unknowing Romeo all the while.

She passed the corner shared by the pie stands and the metallurgy just as he did, and the only thing that stopped them from rubbing elbows was Hiccup pausing to look at a parchment. They very nearly ran into each other when Merida skipped past the quill stand, but she twisted past him at the last minute. If she had been listening, she would've heard the song he was humming quietly to himself.

In the end, Merida found the corner of Audun and Gærhialm. But she didn't find Hiccup that day. Love waited patiently.

* * *

Hiccup slid into his seat grudgingly. He had agreed to go to the hurling match with his father, and was already regretting it. Big, beefy men sat all around him, and the only people whose muscles were as small as Hiccup's own were the concession maids. Hiccup rolled his eyes, and tried to at least appreciate the grueling sport.

It wasn't easy. Whenever anyone did anything, his dad turned to him.

"Look at that strong young lad! You could be just like him if you tried."

Yeah. Sure.

Hiccup zoned out, scanning the crowd. There were more men and women, all much more intrigued than he was. They knew when to cheer and when to boo, and actually cared when a little ball was hit yet again with a stick. Sighing, Hiccup gave up on the day and let himself study the clouds.

Maybe he would've had more hope for the days events if he'd just turned around and looked up a few rows. A red haired girl bounced in her seat, cheering heartily along with her father and ignoring the scolding looks from her mother. Her brothers crawled around, twisting in and out of their seats and reenacting the best plays.

"THAT WAS CLEARLY FIVE STEPS!" she yelled. Several turned around at the outburst (but not Hiccup), and her mother blushed.

"A _lady_ does not shout, Merida." Queen Elinor sternly reminded her.

"Yes, mum." How was she supposed to enjoy the game without yelling and getting carried away? The game seemed to be a waste. She slouched in her seat, and studied the field and the players quietly. If only her eyes had fallen a on one of the rows in front instead of the field.

Then again, sometimes Fate makes us wait so we can really savor its power.

* * *

She tried to slip in unnoticed, late to the party. He noticed what looked like a flame, and let out a relaxed breath when it was just her hair. Then she got called over, and his breath shortened again.

"Merida, this is Hiccup. Hiccup, Merida."

She nodded and grinned, and he fumbled with his hands, already infatuated.

Because sometimes, Fate's best gifts are the simplest of all.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all! I'm glad this got such good response, and I wanted to let you know that while this story is over, it continues in my other piece, "Arranged". I hope you'll take a look at it and enjoy it! It'll be a longer story this time, not a one shot. Thank you for reading this one, and please read the other.

Love and Affection,

Ravenclaw Writer.


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